Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Fall 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2020
Entering the NHL fray at the height of the Roaring Twenties with fellow American franchises Detroit and New York, Chicago was officially awarded an expansion team on May 1, 1926, with owner and coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin naming the club after the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division he commanded during the First World War – famously nicknamed the "Blackhawk Division". First playing home games at the third incarnation of the Chicago Coliseum, the Black Hawks were built with the roster of the WHL’s single-season Portland Rosebuds for $100,000.00, including Hall of Fame members George Hay and inaugural captain Dick Irvin, with fellow HOFers Cecil "Babe" Dye, Duncan "Mickey" MacKay and netminder Hughie Lehman as well as standouts "Duke" Dukowski, Charles "Rabbit" McVeigh and Art Townsend also joining the club.
While the jersey of the Chicago Black Hawks is recognized as one of the most aesthetically pleasing and visually stunning of all sporting uniforms with an intricate and dignified polychrome Sauk Nation Native American team crest dominated by the club’s chief red and black colours, the original Windy City uniform first proudly worn featured just black and white colouration, with red first appearing on uniforms during the 1934-35 NHL season, with the bright colour further utilized on the team crest beginning the following season, in 1935-36. An absolute treasure to behold and a masterpiece of vintage utilitarian craftsmanship, this breathtaking antique Chicago Black Hawks wool sweater hails from the club’s inaugural season of 1926-27, with use of the extremely rare single-season-style garment attributed to defenceman Art Townsend. Wonderfully styled with numerous black striping bands encompassing the beige wool base throughout - a precursor to the later barber-pole styles - and deviating from the traditional high-neck collar for more conventional and modern indoor use, a period Spalding label is affixed to the bottom right seam, with the vintage sweater measuring-out to roughly a modern size 40. Featuring a thick 7 ½” circular black felt team crest with “Chicago Black Hawks” in white chain-stitched detailing, “11” appears over the verso in border-sewn black felt numerals.
Surviving the intermediate century in a remarkable state of preservation, with the material throughout soft and supple, the beige and black colouration remains vivid with considerable contrast, with absolutely no unattractive staining or obtrusive discolouration. There is a small hole visible near the team crest, with a few additional examples including a thumbnail hole over the right sleeve and upper reverse. We should note a red outline present along the team crest threading, with this only visible within the interior of the sweater, with some minor pilling within each cuff. Townsend would represent Chicago for just a single season, seeing action in 5 regular-season games (some sources claim 4). Representing the birth of professional hockey in Chicago and serving as one of the earliest and most desirable NHL sweaters extant, this museum-quality wool would dominate the holdings of literally any world class hockey collection. Please take note that this item may be subject to a silent reserve.
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